Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant missed the team's training session on February 22, owing to a viral fever. The news was confirmed by vice-captain Shubman Gill. The development comes just a day before India's match against arch-rivals Pakistan in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in Dubai on Sunday. However, Pant's illness is unlikely to affect India's Playing XI for the Pakistan game. Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir earlier confirmed KL Rahul as the team's first-choice wicketkeeper. The decision comes after Rahul's stellar performance in the last few matches, including a brilliant outing against Bangladesh. Speculation about Rahul being preferred over Pant in ODIs had been rife even before the Champions Trophy, during India's 3-0 drubbing of England at home. In the first match of the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh, Rahul took up the gloves with confidence. He maintained his good form and scored a steady 41* off 47 deliveries, hitting 2 sixes and a boundary. This performance ensured India a comfortable win. After the ODI series against England, Gambhir had said, KL is our number one wicket-keeper and this is what I can say at the moment. Further clarifying the team's selection strategy, Gambhir said, Rishabh Pant will get his chance but at the moment it is KL who has done well and we cannot play two wicketkeeper-batters. He stressed that the team doesn't go by averages and stats but rather by who can deliver when needed. Pant's last ODI appearance came last year during the Sri Lanka, where he managed just six runs. Pant, India's mainstay wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket, has played just one ODI since his return to international cricket (post his car crash). Despite this, he has featured in a total of 31 ODIs for India so far. He owns 871 runs at an average of 33.50 in those games. Pant has scored a ton and five half-centuries in ODI cricket.